My latest production was this His & Hers wine barrel chair set. I used a Bordeaux barrel for his chair because it is a couple inches taller than the Burgandy barrel for her chair. I used the metal barrel hoops for accents/supports on the back of his chair and wood accents/supports for her chair.

I made this chair to donate to the local youth group in St. Helena, CA. They went to New Orleans to work for Habitat for Humanity and needed some help with expenses.

What is new with this chair is the finish. I was using outdoor polyurethane and then switched to marine varnish. The problem with those finishes is that you have to apply several coates and sand between each coat allowing for drying time. That can be a real pain, especially in the winter time in my area.

The new finish I am using is a oil/wax made for outdoor furniture. It even has a UV protection ingredient. I have done two more chairs since the one pictured above, a his and hers set, and this finish is the way to go.

I made this tray for an internet customer. The sides are fashioned from barrel staves. I had to plane them down to the same thickness and then cut the corner joints, which is difficult with barrel staves because they are curved. The tray bottom is from a wood wine crate lid cut to fit within the stave frame. I cut a rabit joint around the inside bottom of the frame to receive the bottom. I justified a new router bit after my last tray and it worked much better. The handles are cut from a wine barrel hoop and bent to form the handle. I finished this one with a marine varnish that should hold up well to spills and drink rings. I sold it for $75 because the customer provided two wood wine crates and I got to keep the spare pieces. Based on my time spent, I should have charged more. The last photo is the tray haning in my shop to dry.

I made this tray for a local school auction. The sides are fashioned from barrel staves. I had to plane them down to the same thickness and then cut the corner joints, which is difficult with barrel staves because they are curved. The tray bottom is from a wood wine crate lid cut to fit within the stave frame. I cut a rabit joint around the inside bottom of the frame to receive the bottom. The handles are cut from a wine barrel hoop and bent to form the handle. I finished this one with several coats of outdoor polyurethane.

There were some quick stocking stuffers I made for Christmas 2009. I marked off a barrel stave so that I had square pieces that measured 2 1/2 to 3 in. square. They are big for napkin rings but my wife says she likes the “chunkey” look and they work well with large napkins. I cut a 1 1/2 in. hole in the center of each piece with a hole saw and then cut up the stave into individual pieces. I routered and sanded the edges and corners. I made some smaller pieces with 1 1/4 in. holes, but you need pretty thin napkins for those. The last photo shows some rings made with the ends of the barrel staves. The unique pointed ends give them a special look. These are smaller pieces and have 1 1/4 in. holes. These end pieces can also serve as place card holders with a slot that is cut in the ends to hold the barrel head. I finished with a few coats of outdoor polyurethane so that they can be hand washed.

I made this clock from the center portion of a wine barrel head. I routered the edges and drilled a large hole in the back with a forsner bit to thin the material and form a pocket where the clock mechnism is mounted. You can get the clock mechanism on line or at a craft store like Michael’s. I marked the dial on the front with a wood burner. I did not add numbers because I wanted to keep is simple and I felt it might be too much along with the wine barrel logo and date. I finished it with lemon oil.

I made the bar from two wine barrels. I cut a hole in the front of each barrel and mounted a spare wine barrel head inside as a shelf. I built a two-deep wine bottle rack to lay on top of the barrels and I mounted a bar top constructed from two 1×12 pine planks that I joined with biscuits. I mounted a wood wine box between the barrels to hold glasses. I cut three holes and slots so that the glasses could hang upside down from the box. I installed lights inside the barrels. The entertainment center is similar but has a lazy suzan and second barrel head so that the TV will swivel.

I posted this over at Homerefurbishers.com, but I wanted to share it with lumberjocks as well. We recently did a door replacement and small renovation on our Tack Barn. The barn is used as our recreation room and has finished walls and floors. It has electric, but no heat or water. I got the doors from a friend of mine after they had been passed between neighbors. They were in good shape, but the old doors were shorter and narrower, so we had to raise the header and push out the windows.

Once we opened up the floor we found wet rot, of course. This prolonged the project and cost a bunch more money. In addition to the new glass doors, we did exterior and interior paint, painted the light fixtures, installed ceramic tile at the main entry and in the corner of the barn where a new wood stove will be added. I built window boxes to dress up the side of the barn. I also added drain tile and curbing to stop the water issue that caused the wet rot.

The photos show the finished project as well as a before photo and some construction. There is so much more light now. We will be spending more time out there now, specially come football season.

It may be difficult to see the difference, but this chair is built from a barrel that is about 4 in. shorter than my other chairs I previously posted. This makes the chair narrower and shorter. It does not have much affect on the depth as the arms and main legs have ample length. The shorter back seems to have a better proportion, but it does not support my head when I sit in it. It may be better for a shorter person, I am 6’ tall.

I also figured out the best way to attach the chair back to the rear of the seat. I traced the arch of the main back support onto the rear seat piece and cut it out with my band saw. I then cut a 15 in. long notch, 1 in. deep with a matching arch. This notch is where the chair back staves are attached with screws at the bottom of the chair back. The chair back screws are also attached to the main back support with screws. I covered up all these screws (deck screws) with pieces of the barrel hoop that I cut to length. I attached the barrel hoop to the chair back support and to the bottom of the chair back with pan head screws that resemble rivets, somewhat. By attaching the hoop to the bottom of the back staves and to the rear of the seat, it gives the back much more strength. I added one more barrel hoop cross piece near the top of the chair, which is not shown in all the photos.

I changed my method of finish on this one also. I switched from outdoor polyurethane to a marine varnish. I hope it stands up well to the weather.

My version of the popular bottle balancer. I made it with a 1 1/4 in. hole with a 1/4 in. roundover. I like the color of the stave with just a polyurethane finish. I think the use of the barrel stave has a great tie to the wine bottle. Barrel staves are a little difficult to work with because they are curved from end to end and side to side.

This was a simple little project. Some animal stole my wife’s suet feeder, so I made her a new one. I used wine barrel staves for the frame and some welded metal wire mesh. The top of the feeder slides up the rope so that you can insert the suet cakes from the top. Very easy, but fun. The wine barrel staves add a decorative touch and make it a little unique. You notice it is empty, the birds love it too.

This is not really a wood working project, but I am posting it on Gardentenders and thought it might be interesting to someone at Lumberjocks.

I have seen several compost barrels made from plastic and metal drums or barrels. With the access I have to wine barrels, I thought why not try to make a compost wine barrel. I then settled on three barrels so that I can have enough capacity for our garden and to handle all our yard waste.

I cut the tops of the barrels off below the top hoop. I use a reciprocating saw, but you could also use a circular saw with the blade tilted to match the angle of the barrel. I used latches to attach the top back to the barrel. I enlarged the bung hole of the wine barrel to 1 1/2 in. and cut a second hold on the other side to match. I drilled a 1/2 in. hole on the side of the barrel near the bottom and inserted a PVC valve. This allows the barrel to be drained of the “compost tea” as it builds up. This goes on your plants for a great fertilizer.

I dug holes and set fence posts in concrete. I made them tall enough so that I can get my wheel barrow under them when they are tipped and pull the compost right into the wheel barrow. I used 1 1/2 in. metal electrical conduit as the main support, running it through the holes of the barrels. I attached the conduit to the top of the fence posts with brackets. The hard part was lifting the three barrels up onto the fence post supports. That takes some friends/neighbors for help.

So, you fill it up with grass, leaves, kitchen waste, etc. Add a little water, a little fertilizer, etc. Latch the top on and spin it to mix it up. I turn them about once a week to keep them well mixed up. Add water once in a while when it looks dry. Keep the lid off for a while if it looks too wet. Usually by the time the third barrel is full, the first is ready to empty. It makes great compost for the garden.

I originally made this table for kids, but I found out it also made a pretty good coffee table. The table is very simple, just a barrel head with barrel staves for legs attached with angle brackets. The barrel hoop provides support to the legs and is just attached with 3/8 in. nuts and bolts.

The Stools are a little tricky. The seats are made from barrel staves that I cut out of the center of a different barrel for a different project. I had to cut a door into my barrel I use as an entertainment center. The pieces for stool seat are held together with glue and reinforced on the bottom with pieces of barrel hoop; sorry that is not shown in the photos. The legs are just barrel staves. These kids’ stools can also function as foot stools.

This table is built with wine barrel heads for the top and shelf. I used a smaller head for the shelf and trimmed and sanded it a little to make it smaller. The legs are barrel staves. I used 3/8 in. all thread rod, washers, and nuts to hold it together. The shelf sits on the all thread rod and the edge is covered with a barrel hoop for decoration.

This is a very simple end table buillt with a wine barrel head for the top. The legs are made from barrel staves. The shelf is also from barrel staves and it functions as a wine rack or it can hold other items. I cut a round piece of plywood and attached to the underside of the barrel head. I fastened the legs to the plywood with simple angle brackets bent to the correct angle.

This is a unique project. It can be used as a centerpiece or for other decorative functions. It looks nice with cut flowers displayed in it, fruit, or candles. My wife made a beautiful arrangement for Christmas with red candles and flowers.

It is built with three or four barrel staves. The handles are made from the barrel hoops. On the bottom, you can see it is held together with pieces of barrel hoop and pan head screws. I cut two feet from a barrel stave so that it sits flat. I finished with polyurethane.

I have seen these for sale in wine tasting rooms and stores for $75. I have seen other similar projects with one handle that runs from end to end, but I like the two handles better.

Here are the first two chairs I made from wine barrel staves. The one on the right was my first and it has been tweaked a few times. The chair on the left is a little more refined. These are extra big with lots of room, but I could build them smaller very easily. They get pretty heavy with the solid oak. They are super strong and should last for a long time.

On the back you may notice pieces of the wine barrel hoops. I used these to add a decorative feature that resembles a wine barrel. They also cover the wood screws used for fastening and add to the strength.

I found that it is easy to custom design the chair height, seat slant, and slant of the back to fit the user. My wife likes her’s more upright, I like mine more reclined. I am working on design that will allow for adjustment of the back, probably just a few pins and hinges should work.

The first few pictures are the finished chairs; the last two are shown without the outdoor polyurethane finish. When I first made them, the wine stain on the inside part of the stave was more prevalent, but as they sat in the sun before I finished them, it faded a bit. I was looking for a browner look, but if I put finish on them right away, they would be very interesting with a ruby red color complimented by the natural oak.

I have seen similar chairs with significant sanding and a nice finish priced at $750. I like the more natural look with less sanding. The polyurethane really brings out the natural colors and stains from the wine. I hate sanding away all that character.

From the responses I have received from neighbors and friends, I will probably make more of these.

Update 5/6/09: I picked up a gallon of marine grade varnish, I think it will hold up better. I just finished my third chair using a shorter barrel, I will post after the finish is done.

I made this for my brother for a Christmas gift. He plays cribbage and I thought it would be fun. I found a paper pattern on the internet, printed it out, taped it to the barrel stave and started drilling free hand with my drill press. Needless to say, there is a reason they make templates for this job. It took me several tries and it still did not come out perfect. I used a Sharpie fine point to draw in the numbers and track. I finished it with polyurethane. I made the game pieces from pop-rivets.

Not sure if I will make another, but if I do, I am going to hunt down a template. I don’t know that many people that play cribbage.

I made some of these for Christmas gifts. I did not take pics of the others, but I used the middle of the barrel head to make a longer board with straight sides and curved ends. Some shorter boards I cut in half so that they had a square end and a curved end. The one shown uses the outer parts of the barrel head after the middle section has been removed.

You have to take the head completely apart. Some have metal pins holding the oak pieces together. The pins must be removed and then the pieces are glued back together. Some heads have a tongue and groove design which makes them easier to work with. Others have wood dowels holding them together.

I use biscuits or wood dowels to put them back together. I sand them nice and smooth, except for the logo or insignia if one is on the piece. I finish with lemon oil.

I made the handles from the barrel hoops. I cut them, grind off the sharp corners with a bench grinder, polish the galvanized metal with a wire brush, and coat it with polyurethane. I attach it to the board with 3/4 in. pan head screws, making sure to offset them.

I used a wood wine box to make this bocce ball case. I glued and nailed the top on solid then ran it through my table saw, removing a section of the sides to make it slimmer than the original box. I added hinges, a clasp and a handle. I finished with some outdoor polyurethane and cut some foarm rubber for the interior. I was lucky to find a wine box that had the logo on the top and inside of the box lid. Sure makes it easier to take the bocce balls with us on a picnic.